“ This is a ludicrous idea.
Traffic will rat run down Stapleton and Alston Roads
.
My road - Alston Road is effectively a single carriageway due to the large number of resident parking bays so vehicles can only progress in single file. Traffic coming from the M25 will turn left into Alston Rd to avoid the High St, faced immediately with a width restriction - many drivers will not notice or ignore the warning signs and get stuck. A few years back the footpath on Alston Road had posts installed to stop drivers from driving down the pavement on the areas without parking bays.
I regularly witness road rage due to drivers not giving way to each other. An ever increasing number of home delivery vehicles have no where to park contributing to the traffic chaos and I have photographed FIVE buses stuck outside my house at the same time !
This is a narrow Victorian Street from the era when goods where delivered by horse and cart and simply not made to cope with the volume and character of modern day traffic and parking.
As for the permanent pedestrianising of the High Street, we already have an under utilised indoor shopping centre with plenty of open space for markets and community events so no need to pave the High Street. We are witnessing the death of High Street retail primarily due to changing shopping habits - the rise of online shopping, home delivery and out of town superstores. I personally know I can shop cheaper by not using my local stores, but I am prepared to continue spending more money in Barnet to support our local traders.
It seems that whenever scaffolding appears on the High Street these days it's for the development of new flats above the retail spaces. With the recent relaxation of planning regs how long before the High Street becomes a primarily residential space ? On Alston Road a shop is currently being converted to residential use and I can see this becoming more prevalent as time goes on...... ”